Analyzing and Responding to a Case Study

A case study presents either a real-life situation or a simulation of a real-life situation. A case study mirrors the complexity that you would experience in the business world. Cases often contain enough information to support multiple viable solutions, so part of your role in analyzing a case study is to recognize what information supports certain solutions.  

A case study is self-contained. Ordinarily, case studies contain all the information you need to appropriately respond to them. While case studies may not always be straightforward about the kinds of questions you should ask or what information is relevant to the question, they possess the content you need to address the problem. Sometimes professors will ask you to do additional research to support your response.  

A case study is composed to elicit a response. Case studies are teaching tools designed to encourage students to respond in a certain way. Consequently, case studies are open-ended. Not only do they contain information to support various different points, but there are also certain pieces of information missing to create room for student responses.  

Remember your purpose. If you are assigned a case study, your instructor has likely specified the way you should respond to the case. Since case studies support multiple solutions and can be presented in different ways by instructors, it is important to remember what task your instructor has asked you to do. For instance, based on the same case study, an instructor could either ask you to directly advise the company from the case study or advise a set of investors who invest in the company. The information you need to respond would differ drastically between these options, as would the evidence you choose to support your points.  

Additionally, because case studies emulate the messiness of real-life situations, they will often contain information that seems important but isn’t actually relevant to your purpose. Remembering your purpose as you read will help you note what information is relevant to you.  

Read the study several times. Case studies don’t present information chronologically or obviously, so it often takes several readthroughs to pick up all the details you need. It helps to set a goal for each time you read. For instance, your goal for your first readthrough might be to get an overview of the case while the goal of your second readthrough might be to gather the data you need to address the first aspect of your response. 

Look for evidence. In the case study, evidence is a fact, opinion, or figure that supports the claim you’re making. A claim is the position you are taking on one of the case’s central issues. As you read, you will need to look for evidence that supports your claim and ultimate recommendation.  

A note on numbers: According to William Ellet (2018) in The Case Study Handbook, numbers are not only one of the most “powerful” kinds of evidence you can gather, but they can also be one of the most “treacherous” (p. 27). Numbers, while useful, have no meaning outside purpose or context, so you should be wary of trying to do calculations prior to identifying other main issues like systemic flaws, leadership influences, or potential competitors. As Ellet says, “if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you won’t find it” (p. 27). Not even in the numbers.  

Analyze. The word analyze means, essentially, “to break down.” When you analyze a case study, you are breaking it down into its fundamental parts and asking how each of them functions in the case. When you analyze evidence, you should be asking yourself why it is or isn’t working and how it does or doesn’t contribute to the central issue of the case. 

For instance, your instructor might present a case and ask you to recommend market-entry strategies for a particular company based on the facts of the case. Part of your role as an analyst in this case would be to break down the elements necessary for success in the market the company is entering.  

Synthesize. On the other hand, to synthesize means “to put together.” After you’ve analyzed evidence in a case, you will need to synthesize it in a way that supports your claims. As we mentioned before, cases don’t always present information in the order that you need it, which means you may have to combine information from two different sections of the case to support the position you’re taking.  

When writing a response to a case study, you should be wary of simply restating the facts of the case. Part of your job is to build a position using the facts of the case. Restating facts might sound something like: “You should do X because the case says Y.” Synthesizing the facts of a case will probably sound something more like this: “You should do X because taking Y in the context of Z suggests that X is the most effective strategy for the company.” You will notice that the second example articulates more connections between facts; this is what it means to build claims using the facts of the case.  

Recommend. Finally, you will likely have to make some kind of recommendation based on the case study. When considering your recommendation, it is again important to remember who your audience is in accordance with the assignment. Are you making a recommendation to investors? To a company?  

Additionally, you might find it helpful to consider the criteria that influence your recommendation. According to Ellet (2018), “When studying cases, criteria are the answer to the following question: What should I think about when making the decision?” (p. 30). Criteria should be relevant to the decision and case evidence as well as limited to the minimum needed to make a good decision (Ellet, 2018). Naming the criteria that influenced your recommendation will increase your credibility and make your recommendation more persuasive.